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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22578688">Love and Mercy</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaphokis/pseuds/twiceadwarf'>twiceadwarf (Kaphokis)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Cute, F/M, Fluff, Romance, nice</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 11:35:34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,982</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22578688</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaphokis/pseuds/twiceadwarf</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry and Hermione fall in love and go swimming at the beach.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Harry/Hermione</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Love and Mercy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Hey Hermione. Will you go to the ball with me?" said Harry.</p><p>Hermione shook her head. "No, Harry. It's too much work. I can't go through all of that again." She walked off and Harry followed her.</p><p>"I'll see you at the ball?" asked Harry.</p><p>"I'll see you there!" said Hermione.</p><p>"Will you be able to get there by a Saturday?" asked Harry.</p><p>"No, Harry. I can't. My parents are waiting for me to come home and take me to the ball. I've left my wand in a Muggle's drawer in the cupboard under the stairs."</p><p>"I'll bring you food, then," said Harry.</p><p>Hermione had sat back down, and this time was leaning in towards Harry. "You might get a tail," she said. Harry simply frowned and he shook his head, but stared at her."I wouldn't."</p><p>Harry leaned in and whispered, "I'd get food out of you." Hermione was startled and stared at Harry. Harry winked at her, and she blushed and flushed. Harry kissed her, and they both fell in love.</p><p>They slept together for the first time, and soon broke up because they didn't have any memories of each other before the break up. It was the last time. After that day they lived alone.</p><p>For almost four years they would spend every day together. He loved her, but he also hated her. It was as if she was hiding the most painful thing about her that she had hidden forever. She had been lost inside her mother and he had also become lost in her. He was constantly keeping their lives apart.</p><p>When the universe was completely over, when the world was almost a blank white at the edges of all thinking, he chose her over all his other friends. He went to California with her.</p><p>Harry and Hermione ran across the sunny California beaches, holding hands.</p><p>"Are you done?" Harry asked after they made it to the beach.</p><p>"Yeah," Hermione whispered as she rubbed her finger on her cheek.</p><p>"Maybe next year," Harry whispered back as they stepped into the water.</p><p>~*~</p><p>A couple of months passed and on Christmas, Harry was walking through his study when he spotted Ginny, Ron and Neville walking down the steps. He walked over and tried to hug them, but they shook their heads and rushed off down the stairs.</p><p>Harry thought to himself, What a waste. You don't understand a thing. She's my wife. She loves me and our kids. She wants the best for us. I'm the one who's supposed to show her that.</p><p>In a voice low enough that it reached Ginny's ear, Ginny whispered in Harry's ear, What happened last night?</p><p>Harry's eyes flickered to Ginny before they returned to his wife's. He shook his head, not wanting to lie to his wife. He nodded to Sirius before he spoke, It was a long day, a long night. They got out safe. He could work on trying to be a better man.</p><p>An image of Harry struggling with Albus came to Sirius's mind. How sad that Albus and Harry had only known each other for a few months. He came of age when Albus began tutoring him, and he had even confessed that he was searching for a soul mate, but Albus had strongly urged him to seek a wife first. This had caused many arguments between the two.</p><p>"He's older than you, and he's older than me," Sirius confessed, "I want to know more than just what he looks like. He has to know all of the details of my life."</p><p>"What would that mean?"</p><p>"That I'm going to tell him everything I have lived and everyone who I have touched," Sirius said, "He has to know."</p><p>The ship's superstructure bulged into the night, as Sirius pushed open a small door and stepped aboard.</p><p>"You'll be fine," Remus reassured him, glancing around the cramped compartment as he reached for his wand.</p><p>"No, I'm not, I'm going to tell him everything I've done, people I care about, everything, then tell him how I felt when I realized the truth." Sirius glared at him, then shook his head and clenched his fists. "I'm going to tell him everything, I just want to see him suffer a little longer, this just feels wrong somehow."</p><p>Harry ate an egg. Hermione came up behind him, taking Harry's head in her hands.</p><p>"I don't know," Harry whispered, and Hermione took his head in both of her hands, staring into his eyes. "Not right now, anyways."</p><p>Hermione released Harry's head. She rested her forehead against his, looking up at him, her tears trailing down her face. "Harry, it's okay, I've got you," she whispered. "Just... don't die here, okay?"</p><p>Harry closed his eyes, holding her gaze. "I'll never die here," he whispered, "Hermione, you don't have to die too. I'll go find my parents, I promise. I'll have my parents and some more to take care of. I can never let you down. I'm only a child, I know that, so I won't leave you. I just need you to know I've not run away and just giving up everything. Hermione, I love you."</p><p>Hermione kissed him. Her kiss was silent, but it was all Harry could do to pull his eyes away as he got lost in the taste of her tears, the taste of her heartbreak, the taste of her love. It was a mix of sweet and sour, but sweet or sour, Harry was not going to go through that again.</p><p>"Yes, of course. I'll take you home."</p><p>Harry had no idea what his other relatives thought of him. At least so far as Harry could tell. Lily had finally spoken to him after all of this was over. But it was only once they'd finally departed that she admitted to Harry that Harry was anything but the Potter he had seen with Ron. To her, the boy they had been able to raise in the Marauder's timeline was a total opposite from the white-haired man who had taken over and killed Tonks. In a way, it was lucky that nobody had seen him.</p><p>Hermione silently sobbed as Harry stood up and walked out the door. She stared at him in disbelief, and he saw it through her eyes.</p><p>"Mister Potter…"</p><p>"Shut up," he said. "And thanks for the dinner. I'm just worried about you."</p><p>"I'm fine."</p><p>He sighed. "You always have to be fine, Hermione. You're the model student, though I suppose you'd like your grades to do better."</p><p>"I don't care. It's my fault I'm an insufferable git. I'm going to go wash my hands and try to be a little more reasonable."</p><p>"My advice to you is to take the students' sitting spot, it'll make your life a whole lot easier and you'll meet a whole lot more great people.</p><p>I appreciate the simple way he looks at life, the most important thing is to have the right attitude. The way I see it, everything, my family, my friends, my loved ones… everything you ever do will come down to good attitude and this is one of the fundamental aspects to our practice.</p><p>I can't recommend such a minimal approach more highly. It's really simple, and pretty much perfect, so have the attitude that everything comes down to attitude.</p><p>For me, the 'less is more' approach to practice has helped me with everything. I can't put a time on it, but I do think that every time I take a more structured approach to practice I will just be a little better at what I do. To know my body better, be more connected to it and be able to manage the training load." said Harry.</p><p>Hermione had closed the door five seconds into Harry's speech. "I want you to sleep in my bed tonight. I've been thinking a lot about what we'll be able to do once the tournament is over. I don't know if I'm ready for the adventure yet."</p><p>"When are you two doing your vault lessons?" Hermione asked, taking up the position of Harry's bed. Harry shushed her.</p><p>"Hermione, I promised Snape he couldn't touch me anymore." Harry replied in a whisper, holding her hand.</p><p>Hermione laughed, her bed squeaking with them as they got ready. Harry curled into her side, sliding her arms around his back and settling in beside her.</p><p>"What do you think, what do you think?" She murmured, running a thumb down the line of his collarbones.</p><p>"I think you're gorgeous." He said, nodding. He reached into his pocket and withdrew a thick handkerchief from it. Harry gently caught it and frowned. He should give this to her…something to remind her that this was a special day. He handed her the handkerchief and laid it over the nape of her neck, making sure she was okay before he continued. "I know you're not immune to my charms, but I think we should try to keep it that way."</p><p>Hermione hesitated and then reluctantly folded the handkerchief. When she looked up again, her eyes seemed to be trying to follow Harry's eyes.</p><p>"Do I know what you're saying to me?" Harry asked. He hesitated. "Or are you too scared to say what you're saying?"</p><p>Hermione took a deep breath, slowly, then said, "I'd like to ask a question first."</p><p>"Go ahead," Harry said.</p><p>"I'm really sorry, Harry. I was looking at your nipples and I forgot the question."</p><p>Harry's hands went up to his face. He didn't even have time to respond before Madam Pomfrey came up and whisked him away to her office. She had a dazed look in her eye and she seemed to be on the verge of crying.</p><p>"Are you okay?" Madam Pomfrey asked worriedly.</p><p>Harry looked at her in surprise. "I don't think so."</p><p>"Is everything okay?"</p><p>"Yes, but I was just shocked by how much I enjoyed doing this," Harry admitted.</p><p>"Well, my goodness, I didn't know you were such a petulant child."</p><p>Harry felt woozy all of a sudden. He had been injected with drugs of some kind, and was now imagining Madame Pomfrey in Hermione's place. "What..." He shook his head and stumbled away from her, after he quickly remembered that if he leaned too far, he would fall over.</p><p>Hermione was observing him, and she blushed a little at his strange behavior. "Harry, it is nothing. I simply-" She stopped herself as she noticed how Harry was still swaying from the decision. "Harry?" He asked in a quiet voice. She looked up from where she was facing him. "Harry, I love you, and you love me. Please, let it go."</p><p>Harry's eyes followed her face in shock, and he was absolutely dumbfounded.</p><p>It was a frightened look.</p><p>Hermione had been thinking about this.</p><p>"It's almost time," Hermione explained. "I must keep you pure, my baby boy. You will be mine, Harry. From now on, it's going to be okay." She climbed on top of him and picked up the handkerchief, holding it taut in her fists.</p><p>Harry thrashed as she tightly wound the handkerchief around his neck and began to strangle him. He tried to cry for help, but not a sound would come out. His throat was violently crushed, and no air would come in or out of his lungs.</p><p>"Shhh...sleep..." soothed Hermione. Harry looked up to her with pleading eyes, trying to mouth something with his lips, clinging desperately to the last threads of life.</p><p>Hermione dipped her head to Harry's ear and whispered.</p><p>"Sweet dreams."</p><p>Dark shapes danced in Harry's vision as he left this mortal coil, murdered by the only woman he ever loved. He expected the afterlife to be nought but a black void of nihilism. But instead he saw those California beaches. Longing. Swimming. Inviting. It was almost as if he hadn't gone anywhere.</p>
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